Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research

Program Summary

The Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research supports research into the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease or circulatory failure. The program focuses on basic and translational scientific research. Clinical studies are ineligible.

In 2025, Cholsoon Jang’s project, Defining the role of circulating bile acids in coronary heart disease, was funded.

Internal Application Instructions

UCI is one of only 14 institutions invited to participate in this program; three grants of $250,000/2 years will be awarded.  All full-time faculty with combined federal and non-federal funding totaling $500,000 or less are eligible; junior faculty are encouraged to apply.

UCI may nominate only one candidate; therefore, interested applicants are asked to submit a preliminary application to the Office of Research by Monday, May 19, 2025 (via the UCI Review system) with the following information:

• Research project summary (500 word maximum, in accordance with this sponsor’s guidelines for the same)
• NIH-style Biosketch
• Statement affirming that applicant will not have combined federal and non-federal funding totaling $500,000 or more at the time of application (July 8, 2025).

NB: The sponsor will look for a proposal understandable by a scientific general audience (minimal jargon), preliminary data, an explanation of what is novel about the project and why it is feasible, and alternative approaches. Slides from their 2024 webinar are here.

If more than one qualified application is received, an ad hoc committee will convene an expedited review of internal applications so that the selected nominee will have time to submit an application by the foundation’s deadline of July 8, 2025.

More information about this funding opportunity may be found at Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research – HRiA

Questions about our internal campus review process may be directed to Mike Gallo at magallo@uci.edu and questions about your application or for full project summaries of the projects awarded last year may be directed to Roberta Flores at r.flores@uci.edu.

2024 Geneen Charitable Trust Awardees:

Hongchao Guo Ph.D., University of Utah
Targeting Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase 2 in Smoking-induced Coronary Artery Disease

Ada Weinstock, Ph.D., University of Chicago
Promoting resolution of atherosclerosis via caloric restriction-induced macrophages

Shanna Hamilton, Ph.D., University of Arizona
Defining the Role of ER Stress in Claim-Dependent Arrhythmias